Jimmy Ponder (May 10, 1946 – September 16, 2013) was an American jazz guitarist.

He learned the guitar solo from “Daily Double” (Quaker Town), the first 45 rpm single released by Charles Earland. When Earland performed in Pittsburgh, he invited Ponder to sit-in with the band and liked what he heard. Earland promised Ponder he could become a member of the band after he finished high school. Six months after graduating, he was hired by Earland.^[2]

He began playing with Earland at 17 and in the following years with Lou Donaldson, Houston Person, Donald Byrd, Stanley Turrentine, and Jimmy McGriff. He moved to Philadelphia and later New York City in the 1970s and recorded extensively as a leader. Since the late 1980s, he frequently returned to his hometown to perform with his trio of two other Pittsburgh musicians, Gene Ludwigand Roger Humphries. Ponder’s highest charting release was Somebody’s Child, which reached No. 3 on the JazzWeek airplay chart in 2007.